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Bringing it in, getting it prescribed, and understanding what's different here
Part of: Expat Essentials, Healthcare
Most medication can be brought into the Netherlands without problems, as long as it is for personal use and in original packaging. For anything beyond a basic prescription, a few things are worth knowing before you travel.
For non-controlled medication — antibiotics, blood pressure medication, thyroid medication, most chronic disease management — original packaging with a pharmacy label or prescription is sufficient. Carrying a printed medication list from your pharmacy (medicatiepaspoort) is useful if you need to explain your medication to a doctor or customs officer.
For controlled substances — sleeping pills, strong painkillers (opioids, tramadol, codeine), ADHD medication (methylphenidate, amphetamines), anti-anxiety benzodiazepines (diazepam, lorazepam), and medicinal cannabis — you need a certificate before entering. These medications fall under the Dutch Opium Act (Opiumwet) and without documentation, customs has the right to confiscate them.
The certificate is obtained from your doctor or pharmacist in your home country before travel. Requirements vary by country of origin — some need to be legalised (apostille). For current rules, check hetcak.nl (the Dutch information centre for medication abroad) and the INCB website — these rules are updated periodically and the official source is more reliable than any guide.
Air travel: Pack all medication in hand luggage, not checked bags. If you are connecting through Schiphol with controlled medication from outside the Schengen area, have your documentation ready for customs.
The Dutch Opium Act divides controlled substances into two lists:
Medications that fall on List I or II are not automatically illegal — their medical use is legal with proper documentation and a valid prescription. But the paperwork matters.
If you live in the Netherlands and want to travel with controlled medication — within Schengen or internationally — you need a certificate before you go. The certificate is issued through CAK (Centraal Administratie Kantoor) and requires input from your doctor or pharmacist.
Request at least 4 weeks before departure. For urgent travel within days, CAK has an alternative process but it is slower and less certain — do not leave this to the week before.
Some countries additionally require the certificate to be legalised through their embassy or consulate in the Netherlands. Check with the destination country's embassy well in advance.
Without a certificate, carrying methylphenidate, tramadol, benzodiazepines, or other Opium Act medications across an international border creates legal exposure even if they are fully prescribed. Most Schengen borders are open, but airports and spot checks in other countries will not accept a Dutch prescription at face value.
For full current requirements: netherlandsworldwide.nl/travel-abroad/medicines and hetcak.nl.
A foreign prescription — from Syria, Brazil, the US, India, anywhere — is not automatically valid at a Dutch pharmacy (apotheek). A pharmacist may fill it once as a one-off on professional discretion, but not as a standing prescription.
The correct path: register with a Dutch GP, bring documentation of your existing medication and diagnosis (prescription printout, medical record, discharge summary — whatever you have), and ask the GP to issue a Dutch prescription for the same medication. Most will, assuming it falls within Dutch prescribing guidelines.
Two things to be aware of: - Some medications prescribed routinely elsewhere are not on the Dutch approved list or are considered second-line treatments here. Your GP may want to switch you to the Dutch standard-of-care equivalent. - Dutch GPs can be conservative about prescribing controlled substances to new patients without a full history. If you take ADHD medication, opioids for chronic pain, or benzodiazepines long-term, bring as much documentation of your diagnosis and treatment history as possible.
Some medications that are sold over the counter in other countries require a prescription in the Netherlands. Strong codeine-based painkillers, tramadol, and many antibiotics are prescription-only here regardless of what you are used to at home. Do not assume you can walk into a pharmacy and buy what you bought elsewhere.
Conversely, the Netherlands is not unusually restrictive — most basic medications (paracetamol, ibuprofen, antihistamines, some antifungals) are readily available without prescription.
Two types of shops sell health products in the Netherlands:
If you need advice about medication, the apotheek pharmacist is often more accessible than the GP and can answer questions about dosing, interactions, and whether you need a prescription at all.
Once you are in the Dutch system, ask your apotheek for a medicatiepaspoort — a printed or digital list of all your current medications, doses, and prescribing doctors. It is useful for: - Traveling (within Schengen and beyond) - Emergency situations where your own GP is not available - Seeing specialists who may not have your full record - Explaining your medication in a language barrier situation
Some pharmacies provide these automatically; others you have to ask.
A medicatiepaspoort (medication passport) and a vaccination record are two separate documents. People sometimes confuse them because both are called "passport" informally.
For international travel, the relevant document is the International Certificate of Vaccination — the yellow booklet historically called the "Yellow Card." It is especially relevant if you are travelling to countries that require proof of yellow fever vaccination. Your GP or a travel clinic (reisvaccinatiepoli) can advise which vaccinations you need and issue or update your Yellow Card.
If you need travel vaccinations before a trip, do not leave it to the last minute — some vaccines require multiple doses weeks apart, and your GP may refer you to a specialist travel clinic rather than administering them directly.
Schiphol airport has a pharmacy airside in the departure area — check schiphol.nl for current location and hours. If you realise at the airport that you have forgotten medication, they can help — they stock a range of prescription and OTC medications and can in some cases issue emergency supplies. It is significantly more expensive than a regular apotheek, but it is there. For prescription medication they will typically ask for documentation of your prescription.
This is also useful for picking up last-minute travel medications (rehydration salts, motion sickness, altitude sickness medication) before a long-haul flight.
These guides are written to help you understand the Netherlands — not to replace professional advice. We do our best to be accurate but we make mistakes and information goes out of date. For anything that affects your legal status, taxes, finances, or health, verify with an official source or a qualified advisor.